~~On the side is a song that I listened to while I wrote this and it seems to wrap all the emotion I felt while I wrote this. I kind of imagined it like a movie. So incourage you to read it while you listen to the song, start listening when you see ***.
"Conference room. Now." Director Fury announced.
Where did Director Fury come from? I hung back a little with my father, allowing the surge of moving bodies settle down a bit before entering the rectangular room. I tired not to let my confusion show due to my father, who kept giving me concerned looks. A beige file was placed in front of each seat, each boar the same lettering on the front.
Property of S.H.I.E.L.D
TOP SECRET.
Why was everyone given a folder? Was this an assignment, or just an informative briefing. Or was it both? I couldn't wrap my head around it until Director Fury began to speak. (***)
"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here. Well today you'll be getting some answers." he began. "In front of you is a file containing your assignments."
In that moment a frightening silence fell over the room. I looked to Dilan, fear and confusion following through my veins. I fought to keep my cool, to look as if the director's words hadn't fazed me, but I knew that no matter how hard I tried at least a little bit showed. I knew my father's face would be the same. I couldn't bare to look at him. I couldn't bare to look at my father, because I knew, I knew that he was fighting too. To keep all the emotion in.
"Read over them tonight. Tomorrow you will start your training." With that Director Fury left. An eerie silence was only filled with the sound of rain hitting the window sill. No one moved. No one spoke. No one did anything for several minutes. Until all at once everyone got up. Finally we looked at our parents, and our parents looked at us. My father's eyes brimming with sadness. Tears filled my eyes, finally spilling out.
I flung my arms around my fathers neck, welcoming his embrace. I needed his touch, to hear him tell me it was going to be okay. Everyone in the room knew what this meant. We all knew that we were being thrown into battle. The adults feared the loss of their children, the children fearing they might never see their parents again. I was aware that everyone was hugging their family tightly now. Tears spilling out their eyes. We all were fully aware that our opponent was invisible to us still. We were clueless to what was happening, yet completely knowing.
"It's going to be okay, right?" I said in a hushed voice to my father, still in his embrace.
"It's going to be okay. Nothings going to happen to you." he replied, his tone suggesting he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince me. I nodded. I knew how hard this was for him. His son was fighting in a war far off, where he couldn't do anything to protect his son. Now he was going to be fighting along side his daughter, where he could quite possibly watch his child fall to her demise or the other way around. I wasn't sure which was worse. Both, utterly painful.
When the room cleared there was no gathering of people in the Stark's living room. Everyone went on their way. Not even a hushed whisper could be heard. When we finally got home, my mother was staring out the window. She didn't bother to look at us. My father went out to the garage. The rhythmic beating of the punching bag could be heard from the roof, where I sat. The rain seemed to harmonize with my feelings. The sounds of my father releasing his emotion into every punching bag that fell. The image of my mother, no doubt tears streaming down her face. The down pour on my back.
It all felt so surreal. I wanted to crash through these walls, jump off the roof, fly away. I don't really know. I imagined myself doing these things. The most frequent one I imagined was getting off the roof, drying off, and going to joining my father. Stopping the punching bags from flying after hours of going at it and just letting myself fall into my fathers arms.
And that's what I did. I scrambled back through my bedroom window, dried myself off, and marched into the garage. My father stopped for a second when I joined him, standing beside him. Throwing punches at a bag full of sand. After a while I held the bag, stopping the punches from flying. Facing him. He stood there, I stood there, breathing heavily. For quite some time the only sounds were the hum of silence and rain and breathing.
Soon he grabbed me, holding me close to his chest. My arms warped around his torso. His arms, one on the small of my back the other on my head, kept me in his presence. "Nothing's going to happen to you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I nodded soft sobs coming out in ragged breaths. We stayed like that for the longest time.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/
Just a quick update: Unfortunatley this is going to be the last update for quite a while :( With school starting back up soon for me and everything else I have to do it get back into writting this, it's going to take some time. But never fear, I promise that when I come back I'll post some longer chapters :D
